Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

First, on the revelations linked to Oxfam in a certain country, the first step I took was to check whether there was any Irish money supporting that particular element of Oxfam's work. There is not.

On the broader question of ensuring the significant sum of money allocated for overseas development aid - I hope we will be spending a lot more in the future - is spent in a way that is transparent, appropriate and safe, we have pretty rigorous systems to assess constantly how the money is spent, be it through NGOs, UN organisations or directly through governments. There have been examples of where money was not used appropriately. We shut off funding sources as a result. There is ongoing vigilance regarding overseas aid. We will continue to ensure the money is spent appropriately.

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